Let There Be (Day)Light

Moving house is always on my mind. Not because I enjoy going through that admittedly *delightful* (ahem) process of packing up everything I own and popping it in a van to be driven down the road, but because ‘playing RightMove’ is one of my favourite iPhone games.

The fact is, my two share a bedroom at the moment, and while they enjoy each others’ company (and don’t seem to mind the amount of the other’s LEGO they trample on to get to the loo in the middle of the night), they’re rapidly getting older and, when it comes to sharing, more volatile.

I wouldn’t want to split my Shopkins with my little brother, either.

Back in 2015 when I last looked for houses I always had my eye out for a lovely kitchen and character features. But now? It’s all about the DAYLIGHT.

And so I keep an eye on the local property market.

There’s a new development about to be built in our local area and we have our eye on a 3 or 4 bed place there when they’re ready next year, but it’s interesting how much my criteria has changed in time when looking at properties. Back in 2015 which is when I last looked I always had my eye out for a lovely kitchen and character features. But now? It’s all about the daylight.

You see, I have lived in a number of houses that, while not dark, they certainly weren’t light. The kind of houses that would make you feel decidedly murky and down-in-the-dumps on a slightly grey day, for reasons you’d be unable to quite put your finger on. Houses that extracted the spring from your step as you walked into the living room in winter, causing you to rush around hurriedly flicking lamps on.

I didn’t put two and two together to realise what an effect this low-light had on me until I moved into my current home – a gutted and refurbished bungalow with an absolute abundance of daylight and white walls. It was magic: though we moved on 16th December, the dead of winter, the lift in my mood was immediate and notable. And it’s continued; very rarely have I had a bad day in this home and I put that mostly at the door of how much daylight this house enjoys.

When the house was re-furbished a wall of windows to the back of the house was added, as well as VELUX roof windows to the dining hall and bedroom. Though the large windows work well to bring the daylight in through the back, it’s the roof windows that bounce it around effectively, meaning that even on the greyest of grey days home is a wonderfully uplifting place to be.

Which is a good thing as I work from here 80% of the time.

I’m not making a blanket statement that darker homes make you miserable, but in my case it’s been true that living in a house with an excess of daylight has increased my happiness by a huge amount. And as a bonus, during this spell of hot weather we’ve been having, the (remote control!!) VELUX roof windows have managed to create the most brilliant breeze through the house, saving me I don’t know how much money in the ice cream I’d be otherwise chomping on to bring my body temperature down.

When you’re considering an extension or renovation, VELUX windows really can help to bring such a flood of brightness and breathing space to the home, beyond what you’d normally see with usual windows and doors. You can’t underestimate the benefit of natural daylight – particularly in winter when we don’t see much of it anyway – and when you look at these case studies it’s a total no-brainer.

Slick a coat of white paint on the walls and add a couple of mirrors for maximum reflection purposes and you’ll have yourself the most daylight-filled, happiest home around… peek more daylight-enticing ideas here. It makes such a difference!

Huge thanks to VELUX, a brand I use in my home, for working with MTT on this commissioned post.

Hi Alice,
I completely agree with how important lots of daylight in your house is. I live in a three bed semi in the north east and although we didn’t know at the time of buying the house it has an abundance of bright rooms, the back of the house gets all the sunshine in the morning and the front in the evening. ( we can enjoy the sun setting in the summer).
The point is we have considered moving many times , and each time we have looked at property we can afford they are never as bright as the house we already have. Our first property was an old Victorian terrace flat and although it had lots of great original features it was dark especially in the winter, Our property now is a 1950s three bed semi with no real classic features but because it is so light and airy it is Happy House and therefore we have never moved and have lived there for over 30 years. I personally think Natural daylight is the best thing in the world for a happy environment.

Good luck with the house hunting.

P.s down side–keep any eye on pictures or books etc that you dont want to fade.

Hi Joe,
Isn’t it funny how you can be completely oblivious to the power of the light when house hunting, but then once you get it you never want to let it go?! I agree there is nothing like natural daylight to pick up your spirits and make you smile. Even though our home has a been a bit of a greenhouse these past few weeks ;) It’s totally worth it!!